The present invention relates to footwear and more particularly to the construction of sandals.
Sandals have long been an important component of footwear. In the early development of footwear, sandals played an important role in virtually all types of activities. However, as closed footwear developed, conventional sandals became less a preferred style of choice of footwear for some applications—particularly for high performance sport and athletic applications. As a result, sandals are not typically associated with high performance sport and athletic activities.
Typical sandal uppers are manufactured from one or more straps that are anchored to the sole and engage with various parts of the wearer's foot. Experience has revealed that because of the general open nature of sandal uppers, it is difficult to provide a sandal construction in which close contact between the wearer's foot and the sole of the sandal is maintained through high intensity activities. Some sandal constructions provide limited improvement in foot retention in the forefoot region, but conventional sandal constructions continue to suffer from a general inability to maintain constant, firm foot/sole contact along the length of the sole throughout the wearer's stride—particularly during intense physical activity.
The problems associated with maintaining foot/sole contact can be exacerbated when the sandal is provided with a relatively stiff sole. As may be evident, anything that interferes with the ability of the sole to flex is concert with the wearer's foot can interfere with efforts to maintain good foot/sole contact. As a result of the shortcomings of conventional sandal uppers, conventional sandal soles are typically relatively flexible and do not include embedded plates, such as energy-return plates, that are common in closed toe running shoes. The result is that conventional sandal constructions generally do not provide the level of energy storage and return often associated with high performance athletic footwear.